Fighting back against chikan gropers through design and crowdfunding

Sexual violence, including assault and rape, does happen in Japan. Japanese law places a high burden on the victim to demonstrate as proof that the sexual relations were not consensual and committed through assault, intimidation or force. Nonetheless, reports of touching without consent or “chikan” during train or bus commutes are common.

A female student and her mother’s struggle

Schoolgirls are often the targets of chikan. One female student was a victim of chikan every day once she started high school. She was so scared that she couldn’t even speak up and once went to school crying. Following the guidance of the police, she gathered her courage and raised her voice. However, no one around her would help her. Through trial and error, she and her mother made a “Chikan Deterrent Card” and attached it to her bag. As a result, she was never molested again after wearing this card.

At the same time, the card’s design was too direct and seemed unrealistic for many female students to carry. A friend of the girl’s suggested that they should make the card into a button badge, which would be easier to wear, and they began to make a prototype.

A design project to consider gender equality began

They had students wear the prototype badge to school and found it had the same effect as the card. Later, in 2015, to spread the use of these button badges, she launched the “Chikan Prevention Badge Project” and raised funds through crowdfunding. This project collaborates with schools every year to solicit design ideas from many students, and the selected designs are made into badges. This project aims to produce designers who believe that design has the power to change society and improve gender awareness within the next 10 years. The center has started to distribute the badges for free this month.

Toward a society where problems are not limited to victims

If public awareness is directed towards the perpetrators, continuing the movement these badges began, it will help further deter chikan. To prevent sexual crimes, including chikan, in the future, it is crucial to prevent them in advance and involve bystanders. After the incident has already happened, it is too late in terms of the damage victims must live with. Moreover, this design project will hopefully prompt both men and women to think about sexual violence and enact the changes that will alter the atmosphere of Japanese society.

If you want to be part of this change, you can become a supporter on the project website: